Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Time hurried by, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

The business of Shen's Restaurant gradually got on the right track, netting about several taels of silver each day.

Though this was but a trifle for many of the high-ranking families, in Shen Qing's eyes, it was a promising start.

In the future, slowly developing and adding another high-ranking Shen family in Yongzhou was certainly a possibility.

Taking advantage of these few days, Shen Qing had also pawned some miscellaneous items that he no longer needed and exchanged them for tens of taels of silver to cover his living expenses.

As for the Eagle Demon's Demon Core, he still kept it in hand, planning to use it later to enhance his cultivation.

…

County Office, Martial Arts Hall.

Shen Qing, holding an ancient copper token, approached the entrance.

The doorkeeper was a martial master instructor with white hair and beard.

Even though his Qi-Blood had already declined, his gaze was still sharp as ever. Upon seeing Shen Qing, he scrutinized him and asked, "Who goes there?"

Shen Qing bowed slightly, his voice steady and strong, "I am Shen Qing from the Guardian Martial Department. A short while ago, by the grace of Commander Lord Jia, I was specially allowed to come to the Martial Arts Hall to study martial arts and enhance my cultivation."

"Do you have proof?"

Shen Qing respectfully handed over the copper token and said, "Please, senior, have a look."

The old coach took the copper token, examined it carefully for a moment, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, then regained his composure and returned the copper token to Shen Qing, his tone easing, "So, you are Shen Chasi. Commander Jia had already sent someone to inform me. You may enter the Martial Arts Hall for three days and review all the martial arts books. Please, follow me."

With that, the old coach turned and led the way, winding through several twisting corridors before finally arriving at a spacious and bright study, and pushed the door open.

"Please come in."

The air in the Martial Arts Hall's study was filled with the scent of ink and paper.

As soon as Shen Qing stepped in, these two scents intertwined and entered his nostrils.

Looking around, the study was lined with bookshelves filled with various books—some yellowed and aged, others beautifully bound, obviously freshly collected.

The study wasn't very large, roughly one hundred square feet. Shen Qing roughly estimated that there were nearly a thousand martial arts books stored here.

Just choosing the appropriate cultivation techniques was likely to take a day or two.

"Shen Chasi, this is where we, the county office, store the collected martial arts books. Each one can be said to have been refined by countless people. Many of them are masterpieces borrowed from the Imperial Armory. You may choose any to study, and if there's anything unclear, feel free to ask me. But remember, the way of martial arts is about persistence; do not bite off more than you can chew," the old coach advised earnestly.

Shen Qing nodded, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

"By the way, senior, where do I find the martial arts that come after the Qi Cultivation Realm?"

"From here, everything from the third row onward," the old coach pointed and explained.

"Thank you."

Following what the old coach had pointed out, Shen Qing walked to the third row of bookshelves, his eyes scanning over the dazzling array of martial arts secret manuals.

He casually pulled out one of the volumes and looked at it.

"Cloud Flipping Sword Technique."

He opened the first page.

The first thing that caught his eye was a series of sword move diagrams, each move dissected and vividly depicted.

Even the direction of the True Qi flows for each move was meticulously noted down to detailed precision, making even someone like Shen Qing, who was inexperienced in the Sword Dao, feel their profoundness.

"The sword moves lightly, like clouds changing shape unpredictably..." As Shen Qing softly read on, he increasingly recognized the ingenuity of the sword moves recorded, each embodying profound natural principles.

This opportunity to view such a martial arts secret manual was rare, and Shen Qing became completely immersed, quickly flipping through the pages.

Unbeknownst to him, Shen Qing had memorized these Martial Arts secret manuals using the "Never Forget" Skill.

It took the time of burning a stick of incense, but Shen Qing had finished viewing the entire "Cloud Flipping Sword Technique" Martial Arts secret manual.

"Good, next one."

Shen Qing pulled out this Martial Arts book and immediately became curious upon seeing the name of the technique on it.

"Joyous Zen Great Harmonious Flesh Lotus Technique."

As he opened it, he discovered it was indeed a remarkable Buddhist Martial Arts Technique.

As stated in the book, by studying Joyful Buddhist Dharma with a woman and daily harvesting the essence of the woman's flesh lotus, one could rapidly increase one's Qi-Blood and Qi, achieving a breakthrough.

Moreover, once one began cultivating this technique, it would engender a strong craving in the opposite sex, while the body would emit a Buddhist fragrance.

Any desired person of the opposite sex, upon smelling this Buddhist fragrance, would develop a devout longing, ready to give and receive.

The only requirement was that one needed to have a foundation in Buddhist Dharma to cultivate it; otherwise, it would be difficult to train in.

Shen Qing saw that this technique wasn't at a high level and offered limited achievements in cultivation, making it not very suitable for his needs.

But since he had come, Shen Qing still memorized this Martial Arts Technique.

Just now, after finishing the first book's sword technique, an audacious idea suddenly emerged in his heart, he decided to use the "Never Forget" Skill to memorize all the Martial Arts here, not missing a single word.

Even if he did not practice these techniques in the future, copying them down could also be a way to make money.

If each of the thousands of Martial Arts secret manuals here sold for ten taels of silver, he could make ten thousand taels.

Shen Qing licked his lips, his mood suddenly becoming excited.

No sooner said than done.

He collected his thoughts and busied himself with intense reading.

"Mixed Element Profound Technique…"

"Returning Different Aspects to Their Original State…"

"Blood Piercing True Essence Scripture…"

Shen Qing unexpectedly found that as he continually studied the magical manuals, his previously static skill "to recognize characters and read" began to visibly improve.

Time trickled by.

Shen Qing spent nearly half a day and had read nearly three to four hundred Martial Arts secret manuals.

It must be said that the Great Zhou Court's Martial Arts foundation was indeed profound.

Any book here was more sophisticated than those he learned in the Martial Arts Hall.

Many of the cultivation approaches were also classic, nearly all providing results with half the effort.

After spending the day reading, Shen Qing benefitted greatly. He understood the concept of transforming Qi Energy when breaching the Qi Hai Realm, allowing him to make some early preparations.

Shen Qing looked at the sky, it was almost evening; he put down the book in his hand and walked out of the study.

Outside the study, the old coach was poking at an anthill.

Seeing Shen Qing come out, the old coach said without looking up, "Did you find any that caught your eye?"

Shen Qing shook his head and replied, "Not yet, I plan to look through them all before deciding."

"That's fine, you better decide by tomorrow so that I have a day to guide you," urged the old coach.

"The Martial Arts of this Martial Arts Hall aren't permitted to be taken out; otherwise, it would be a violation of courtly taboos and could cause big problems," the coach seriously instructed.

Shen Qing nodded and said with a smile, "I understand."